XX
by theowlinsomniac
Summary: [1920's AU] Armin Arlert, a student at a local NYC college studying to be an author, encounters a big city girl by the name of Annie Leonhardt that will change his life forever. Although her wealth may be a mystery to him, her affiliations with an infamous gang become increasingly apparent, and the pair must choose between the love they've built and the lives they once had.
1. Chapter One: January, 1921

January 1921

Perhaps it was naive of him to think someone as refined as her would visit his table. Armin told himself he was dreaming when her gorgeous head, topped by a soft pink cloche hat turned his way. His breath caught when her eyes glanced at him through long and soft eyelashes. His breath caught when his eyes grazed over hers, blue enough to cry an ocean and leave a mist in their wake.

She was an absolute doll, cloth flower on her hat, accenting her hair and making his heart pound at his seat. He tried not to stare at her expensive attire as she moved towards him. She wore a black coat that made her top half look bulky, but as his eyes drew downward to the bottom hem above her mid-calf, he saw just how slimming it made her look. He nearly turned away at the sight of her shoes. They were heels slightly raised from the ground, making her feet look famously elegant and small, and in a moment he saw them shift and move his way.

He straightened up, hearing the clatter and clanking of the speakeasy around him. Armin quickly brushed through his almost shoulder-length blonde mop of hair and wiped his face before looking up to see she was standing over him. Her hands sat inside her felt-coat's pocket and her eyes wandered from his head to his lips, and then to his drink that still sat untouched at the center of his table.

Armin watched the corner of her lips pick up slightly, but nothing else significant happened to her expression as she reached upwards and drew her thin fingers around the brim of her hat, pulling it up and off to reveal a head of light feathery hair. The blonde mess was cropped short in the back and rolled off her forehead with an untamed wave that made her cheekbones look like canyons in her face.

"Don't suppose you've got an edge yet," she said, her voice like a rolling wave, slightly monotone but thick as honey and better than Armin could have ever imagined. She had somewhat of a New York accent, but it was more like the voices of the film stars and the billionaires' wives that floated around the city with handbags full of cash. She glanced to his drink again and began to shrug her coat off her shoulders, her hands reaching for the inside flaps. In a heartbeat he was standing behind her, reaching to help her tug the heavy jacket from her frame. She stilled, golden eyebrows raised and cobalt circles watching him from the corner of her eyes.

He tugged it from her arms with an awkward smile, and she brought them to her chest, her hands sitting on her mid-section as he hung the coat across his arms. He moved across the table, setting the coat across the extra chair beside them, returning to the place behind her and gesturing for her to sit. She did, tugging her beaded and shimmering dress underneath her and crossing her legs under her chair after he'd pushed it in for her.

"You're quite the gentleman," she purred as he made his way back to his chair, sitting and unconsciously opening his eyes wider to talk her all in. Although her hair was short she didn't give the initial flapper impression. She was business-like, her curved nose telling him she'd come from immigrants and long dress telling him she hadn't gotten quite into the the fads of the modern day. He liked that.

He nodded, watching her place her elbow on the table and red her sharp and gorgeous chin on her palm, sitting her other arm against the table and tucking her hand in the crook of her elbow.

"Of course," he laughed softly, hoping he didn't look too casual for a meeting like this.

He glanced down at himself subtly, seeing that he wore a cheap white collared shirt, and grey vest over it. He praised himself for his dress slacks, the only article of "fancy" clothing he owned.

She glanced around, eyes slightly uninterested, not noticing his sudden self-conscious action. Armin rushed to reestablish the attention he'd been craving since he saw her arrive through the secret door with a gentle smile.

"Do you want anything to drink?" he asked, crossing his arms over the table and watching her turn her face back to him. She shook her head slightly and he watched the hair bounce beside her cheeks and ears.

"Are you going to finish that one?" she breathed, her straight and brightened teeth showing for a moment when her pink lips drew back too far. He swallowed hard, shaking his head with a polite grin, and watched her reach for his glass, bringing it to her lips and drinking with closed eyes, revealing a line of black makeup across her lid that made him swallow again. He watched her set the drink down and dab her lips with her tongue, somehow not smearing the almost-invisible makeup on her lips and cheek.

"So," she hummed again, her finger tracing the brim of the glass and her eyes trained on him, sizing him up for a moment before speaking again, "who exactly are you?" she asked, blinking once, twice in wait of his response.

Armin smiled brightly, sitting up and pulling his seat forward for better leverage.

"Armin Arlert," he replied with a smirk of his own, "and you, ma'am?" he responded. She sat back with a faint chuckle, a beautiful sound that made his heart sink.

"Quite the gentleman," she repeated quietly to herself, crossing her arms against her perfect postured body. It had been a long time since someone had called her that.

She was the kind of girl boys like Armin fantasized about, he quickly realized, not that he did that sort of thing. She reached up with one hand, running her fingers through her short hair and allowing Armin a bit of a dramatic pause, taking in the clouded smoky air on the Tuesday night. It wasn't as crowded as usual, he thought to himself, having been coming here to buy and not drink for several weeks.

"Annie Leonhardt," she said finally, looking back to him with expectant eyes.

"Dutch." he responded, feeling as if he shouldn't have said it out loud. Sometimes his racing mind got the better of him. She smiled, her finger raised from underneath her chin to touch her cheek, a sparked interest.

"Indeed." she replied, reaching out again to take another sip of the drink, keeping her eyes open this time as she finished it in two quiet gulps. She set it down and spun it under her fingers for a while, eyes on the table.

The silence was comfortable for her, it seemed, and Armin took the time between them to look over her with a type of awe. He shifted his weight in his seat, impressed with her.

"Would you like another?" he prodded, gesturing to the empty glass with a wide smile and a raise of his shoulders. She gently shook her head again, and she breathed in, the sound of the intake causing a chill to run down his back.

"German," she replied, raising her brows in curiosity, "Arlert is German." He burst into laughter and she continued to look slightly amused without hardly moving a muscle.

"No, ma'am, try again." he placed his chin on his hands, watching her squirm in her seat, cross her legs at her knees, and cross her arms in the same fashion in an attempt to think.

"I genuinely have no idea," she admitted, tilting her head with interest, "do tell." He sat back with a smile, indulging in the fact that he knew something she didn't, and a moment later he felt guilty over that same satisfaction. He was conceited in the sense that he knew he was intelligent, but she didn't have to know that quite yet.

"My grandfather was Swedish, and when his parents came over on the boats they shifted the letters around somehow. I don't know all the details but my name isn't quite as ethnic as it was when it originated."

She blinked, and he could tell by her eyes that she was bemused somehow. She drew her hand to her face, touching her lips with her fingers, drilling a pattern and beat with a tilt of a smile.

"Alright then, Mr. Swede, tell me what you do." she said quietly, Armin looking over his shoulders to see the hideout had attracted a quieter crowd. He turned to her and settled into his chair, watching her quietly and hoping she wouldn't leave anytime soon.

"I'm in college." he replied with a laugh. "I'm in school to be a writer," he said, slightly quieter. Of course he was proud of his accomplishment, but it seemed like the wrong time to bring his endless achievements in education up in conversation, there were in a bar after all, and he didn't want his lovely company to think he was a narcissist.

"Gentlemanly, keen, and smart," she rolled her eyes jokingly, "boy did I hit the jack-pot."

Armin's cheeks and ears warmed at her compliment and he laughed softly, leaning over the table and staring gently at her. She caught his eyes and settled into the back of the chair.

"Now, Miss Annie, what do you do?" he asked softly, and she smiled, leaning in and pushing his hand behind his ear.

"Just call me Annie," she told him with a falling grin, "ain't no sense in calling me ma'am or miss. We're friends now." something devious passed over her face, only making the blush on Armins' face deepen.

"Oh, are we?" he retorted jokingly, leaning even closer towards her.

She blinked her glorious eyes closed once, and pulled back slowly, pushing her chair back and standing, brushing her pale dress that was so conservatively cut, and reaching for her hat.

Armin stood immediately, rushing to her side and helping her slip her arms through the coat and he watched her place her hat atop her head and turn to him, placing her hands on his chest and pressing a kiss on his cheek, drawing back and beginning to walk from the bar towards the exit in the wall. He stood still for a moment, and she turned back to him with a questioning glance.

"Doesn't a gentlemen usually walk a dame like me home after a date?"

His eyes widened and he jumped forward, grabbing his own jacket from a hook by the door and slipping it on quickly, turning back to thank the bartender. He slipped out behind her and into the main restaurant with a broad smile that took too much strength to conceal.

Armin followed her through the tables and through to the actual, and definitely more legal, door, finding it pleasing that when she walked she looked like she was floating. As he walked behind her, he noticed her faint floral scent.

He smelled himself when she wasn't looking and he found that he smelled like dry soap. He hoped that that wasn't inadequate for someone like her, but then again, he barely knew what kind of person she was. Maybe she didn't particularly care if he was a cologne-wearing kind of guy.

When they stepped out into the street he glanced to her with a smile and she breathed deeply into the air, her breath clouding the air for a split second before disappearing into the night air.

"Where to now, ma-Annie?" he corrected himself with a cough and he was glad when the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly.

"I think I'll be renting a taxi," she said in a-matter-of-fact tone, stepping through the snow to the corner, watching the traffic go by for a while with wide and adoring eyes that treasures everything they met until she stuck her hand out in a wave, and after several laughs and joking blushes there was a shiny car in front of them with an older rugged man inside wearing a toothy smile.

"Lady's first," Armin waved, opening the door and letting her slide into the round and bulky seat before following her inside and slamming the door closed behind them. Armin was still amazed by the technology of the automobile, and he'd spent almost half a year trying to recreate it from his mind and a single reference, and at the end he gave up with a hefty laugh.

She cleared her throat and smiled at the driver, "Upper East side, Cathedral Corner by the Ritz hotel." the driver nodded knowingly, and Armin sat back in the seat as they pulled out into the small road and puttered along for long and drawn out minutes until the car wavered and screeched to a stop. Armin wondered why she'd brought him along and was becoming increasingly nervous by the second.

He opened the door and stepped out into the falling snow, taking her hand, now gloved, and helping her step into the walkway. He reached into his coat pocket and drew out a handful of change, handing it to the driver and nodding in appreciation.

Armin turned to her with a smile and moved his head to get a better look of the street. A tall building loomed over them, lights gleaming from the lobby and from at least a dozen windows above them. Armin guessed that it was the hotel that must have been her home. He looked around to see that there was a church across the street with large stained glass windows. They shined into the street shadows and spilled color across the white layer of snow.

"Care to walk me to the hotel?" she asked, shifting her weight on her feet and fooling with the seam on her gloves. Armin stepped around and nodded, smiling and placing his hand on her back as they moved slowly towards the building.

"You never told me what you do," he laughed, looking to her as she rolled her eyes to him.

"It's a secret, Mr. Arlert." she replied slyly, stopping and turning to face him when they drew near the entrance. "I've had a lovely time." she murmured, crossing her hands and stepping dangerously close to him.

"I-I have too," he responded, his hand still resting lightly on her back, unintentionally pulling her closer, "I hope to see you again." he said with a laugh, hanging his head lower to meet her eyes.

She wet her lips with her tongue and smirked, her eyes fluttering like the butterflies in Armin's stomach. "Check or cash, cowboy?" she purred, and he raised his brows before laughing loudly into the night.

"I think it rude to kiss a girl before knowing her properly." he said back to her, his nose and cheeks burning in embarrassment. Her eyes moved down and watched the ground.

"So it would be rude of me to invite you to my room for you to, well, get to know me properly?" she said in a sultry voice, her finger lifting to run from his shoulder to his chest.

His eyes became saucers and his jaw dropped so far he felt it crack. He snapped it shut and swallowed, bringing his arm away from her with a snicker and taking her hands. "I'm afraid it would be, miss." he leaned down, pecking her cheek quickly and pulling away, stepping backwards with a charmed smile. She raised her brows, turning away and waving her hand over her shoulder to dismiss him.

"Next time you make me wait, Mr. Arlert, you'll be signing in blood." she called back to him with a bemused tone of voice.

He grabbed his stomach from the onslaught of laughter, and winked in her direction although she couldn't see him. As the hotel door-holder pushed it open for her he replied.

"I'm sure we'll meet again Annie."

He stepped on the curb and watched her turn around, crossing the threshold of the hotel door, "I hope so."

And before he could comprehend what had just taken place between them, she was gone, and he was left alone, breathless, on the New York streets. He stepped away from the glowing hotel, and glanced back at least a dozen times before tearing himself away and deciding to walk to his shabby apartment only a few blocks away.

The air was icy against his skin and he shoved his hands in his pockets as he made his way down the roads, noting the several people who walked past him. Above him he heard several clock towers chime midnight, and he rushed on into the wind, turning twice before finding his building and shuffling behind the gate to open the door.

It was unbelievably hot inside and he shrugged his jacket off, opening a concealed pocket and drawing out a key. He asked himself why he'd refused her as he made the trek up the three flights of stairs, and when he reached the door there was no answer. Somehow he knew, though, that he'd get another chance, and the thought of her face and her cheeks and her fingers and legs and eyes made him stop to take a breath.

He pushed open the door and placed the key on a small table, closing the door with a shove and sighing, shedding clothes until all he had was a white tank top and his pants.

Armin hastily made a fire in his small and nearly-empty fireplace. He warmed his hands as he sat on the floor, and when he was feeling better, he laid down and closed his eyes, and wiping his nose and mouth. Before he knew it his hands covered his entire face.

He fell asleep by the fire, trying his best not to think about her to hard.

* * *

Armin returned to the bar on a Friday a week later, rubbing his eyes to wipe away the text book vocabulary and hand drawn images of Shakespearean characters with reference to his major works.

All Armin could hardly think about as he stumbled in with a tired sigh and itching fingers was the warm brown color of the drink he wanted to order. He at first stepped into the restaurant, eying a waiter to make sure they knew where he was going, and he continued to the back hallway to the familiar door, knocking in rhythm, twenty times in all, and the door slid open, revealing the speakeasy filled with dozens of chatting and drinking individuals, most of whom he had never met or known. His eyes wavered on a single figure that stood out from the crowd at the bar, and he felt a smile emerge from his lips as he moved towards her.

She was wearing a similar dress to before, but this time it was black, matching the clips that pulled her hair from her face. Annie must have seen him coming because her eyes were visibly brightening as she stayed in profile, swirling a straw through thick pink liquid inside a shining glass.

He smiled, sitting at the stool beside her, noting her bent over position and crossed legs. He crossed his own at his ankles and waving to the bartender for a glass of the cheapest whiskey they had, and in a flash there was a glass before him while he grinned wildly towards her.

She moved her head slowly, a smirk on her cheek as her hand abandoned the straw and folded in her lap.

"Long time no see, darling, how's the scholar life treating you?" she spoke in her signature, and increasingly familiar, alluring northern draw.

Armin shrugged, keeping his eyes level to hers. "Not much happens, honestly. You read a few books and you write a few essays. Meet a stunning blonde at a bar. Complain about the weather. Repeat."

Her face was flushed after his compliment and she bobbed her knees up and down, eyes avoiding his gaze on her.

"Your hair's up today," she noted, sweeping a loose strand behind his ear and blinking slowly, taking in every segment of his face and body as it was now in front of her.

"Today was a bad day," he chuckled, reaching up to brush the back of the short ponytail at the back of his head that was usually covered by his hat when he wore it. He silently wondered if she'd brought attention to it because she liked it.

"You wear ponytails on a bad day?" she asked, turning back to her drink, causing him to fear disinterest as she took a swig of her syrupy cocktail. He hummed a 'yes', turning to his own and feeling his stomach churn before she spoke again to save him from taking a sip. "Is that what brings you here, dear?" she asked, slightly amused by this and turning to face him again, one arm resting on the bar and the other hand preoccupied with the straw in the drink.

"I was hoping I'd run into a certain someone," he playfully admitted and she went unfazed, "and my hopes were rewarded."

She blinked and her eyes moved up to his, "Hm... come to ask me all about my personal life so you can take me home?"

Armin's entire body went hot at her words. He shook his head.

"I was just hoping that you'd give me an answer to what it is exactly that you do for a living."

His commentary unsettled her and she adjusted herself in her seat, nervously touching her face and dodging his looks he gave her. The smoke in the air was heavy tonight and he saw her blinking rapidly, the noxious smell causing even him to feel queasy. She finally took another drink and began to speak loudly over the now-playing music.

"My masochistic, abusive, and oh-so-wealthy father died some years back, when I was just a teenager. His untimely and fortunate demise gave me an opportunity, and with the flick of my wrist and a signed document I came into a large sum of money," she paused and swallowed, glancing around the room nonchalantly, casual, while Armin sat with a baffled expression, "I stepped into the business world at the age of sixteen and by the time I turned twenty I was a millionaire." Armin's jaw dropped and he blinked away the surprise as he looked her up and down. She spoke of it as if it were nothing.

"I see," was all he could utter towards her non-expressive face and body.

"I own many large companies and firms, as well as deal with international affairs and diplomacy. I own many, many things in this town," she glanced around with a satisfied smirk, "even this fine establishment," she whispered, leaning in closely to him, "actually, almost all of the speakeasies on this side of town."

Armin swallowed down the shock, utterly floored by the information. All he could do was nod and respond with short replies.

She laughed to herself through straight lips and finished her drink, holding the glass in her hands and bringing it to eye level, examining it carefully.

"Now, Mr. Arlert, has your interest in me peaked?"

He swung around in the stool, facing the bar again and taking the glass in his hand. "Actually, my interest would have been equal if you were homeless."

Her body jolted and he caught the side of her wide-eyed expression in a glimpse from the side, watching her lean back in her stool and grip the bar for support. Had it been a surprise to her that he'd wanted to know her regardless of her finances? He wasn't too well off himself in the first place, so he had no right to judge.

She pulled a shoulder bag off her opposite shoulder and reached inside, grabbing two coins and placing them on the bar, stepping off her stool and grabbing Armin's hand.

"We both know you won't be finishing that beverage," she breathed, leaning in so close her breath was on his ears, "so I think it's time we move this party somewhere we can both enjoy the drinks."

Armin's adam's apple bobbed and he quickly stepped back to grab his coat, slipping it on and taking her hand, letting her lead him out of the bar, through the restaurant, and outside the building and into the cold.

He snickered when her smile turned wicked and her fingers intertwined with his as she pulled him along.

"No cab this time?" he called to her, laughing with a hot blush on his cheeks as they strode through the crunching and burning white snow. She didn't answer him, the tail of her hair bobbing behind her as she went, her coat whipping around her as the wind picked up against them. Armin kept laughing, unable to control himself and the embarrassment emitting from his body. Everything felt hot and shaky as they went along, and he could have sworn he heard the sound of her breath shift as if she were smiling.

"No, I wanted to walk," she said, turning back around, her cheeks and nose burning red in the cold. As she turned, Armin could see a dark spot at the nape of her neck, but he brushed the thought away, his mind too concerned at how warm her hand was in his. Her hand moved against his and she slowed down and smiled at him, softly. He wanted to freeze the moment, to stop and stare at her until she wouldn't let him anymore, to observe and take note of her movements and her skin. He smiled back to her at the slowed pace and tugged her closer to him, walking side by side.

"It isn't very far," she assured him, her mysterious smile gone in a flash. There was no need for streetlights, but they were there anyways, lighting their path as they walked. Lights in windows and buildings already made it seem as if it were daytime, even though Armin knew it was very late at night. He glanced to Annie who's face stayed straight forward and serious as they kept along. He hummed in response, probably too late for her to know the significance, and walked with her, sliding his hand up and down against her palm, getting a feel for her soft skin and thin fingers.

She didn't seem to mind, and once he stopped she moved for him, running her thumb over his forefinger, making him blush. He didn't dare talk, afraid that he'd screw up everything they were now sharing. He thought he'd start rambling on and on about the stories in his head, the things he wanted to write and share and see. They could see the hotel several minutes later and a thought occurred to him. Maybe he'd write about her...

"I hope I'm not being overbearing," she began to say as the lights of the hotel shone over them, Armin swallowed without a word, "I come on strong a lot of the time, well," she paused and stopped, turning to him, "all the time."

She held their hands out in front of her, looking at them as Armin's eyes were on her. His stomach flipped over and over and over and his heart might as well have been outside his chest it was beating so loud in his chest.

"I must admit that I didn't... I don't usually..." He said, trailing off when she looked up into his eyes. "Yes, just a little bit." he admitted, feeling himself slip from her grasp. She caught his hand again and held on tightly, her eyes blinking open wider and then shifting downward.

"I just..." her soft voice quieted and she forced herself to look up at him, her own stomach fluttering with nervousness, something she'd never known in a situation like this, making her jittery and more or less afraid, "I don't think I've ever liked someone like I like you."

Armin made a squeaking noise, surprised, stepping back slightly, swallowing and shivering. He laughed quietly, smiling and pushing his hair back with his free hand, glancing around as if what she'd just said was too good to be true. He let go of his hair, letting it fall in his face as he trailed his eyes over her from head to toe.

"God, you're beautiful." he breathed. Her face only got redder, but that was the extent of her embarrassment. Her face barely moved in reaction, but her eyes glistened like she knew what he'd just said, what he'd just done.

"I don't usually do this either," she said quietly, "I don't expect anything from you at all, I just-" she paused, "I honestly just want to have a drink." The color on her cheeks had dissolved into a soft pink, making Armin's hands and insides that much warmer. He sighed, thinking for a moment. What would come out of this? What if he went upstairs and had a drink? What harm would that bring anyone?

He swallowed. He couldn't remember the last time someone, well, someone like _her_ had done something for him. He couldn't remember the last time someone like her had even wanted to be around him, with him.

"A drink? And then what?" he asked, trying to conceal the smile on his face, trying his best to be serious. He looked around them, seeing that they were still alone. He turned back to her watching her eyes glisten in the lights around him.

Her shoulders bobbed once but her gaze didn't move from him. She smirked. "Just like you said, I want to get to know you better."

"Why?" he asked, much too quickly. Her eyes were startled but she just smirked.

"I'm intrigued, Armin Alrlert." she said, moving so close her chest brushed his. He forced himself not to swallow again and he leaned down, watching her soft breath hit the air and turn to a ghost of vapor in the air.

"I'm going up to your hotel room, and we haven't even kissed yet." he said jokingly, but her face remained serious as she shrugged and stepped back.

"So you are coming up with me?"

_Hell yes_, he wanted to say, but that wasn't really his style. Unlike the woman in front of him he didn't always speak his mind, but perhaps she was the same. He kept telling himself he hadn't really known her as long as it felt he had. He nodded and she gave him a genuine smile, teeth showing and eyes crinkling at the ends.

She turned and he wanted to stop her, to lift her onto her toes in the street and press his mouth to hers, but he didn't, and he let her carry him away and into the hotel lobby.

Once inside he felt a rush of heat against him and he smiled at the slow moving workers. The inside room was golden, the ruby colored furniture all embroidered with beautiful gold and white lace. He was speechless as they made their way through, and he realized just how wealthy someone had to be to live here, and when they entered the elevator, he stared at her opened mouthed. She nudged him into the corner, opposite to the operator, and slipped her hand in his coat pocket alongside his. She noticed him staring and raised her brows in response, asking why he was so stunned. He just shook his head and smiled, and she turned around. They felt the elevator move without prompting, and they moved up and up and up until Armin felt a jolt.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Why didn't you tell him what floor-"

"Here we are Miss Leonhardt," the man inside the door said, dressed in a hotel uniform with a small grey hat atop his messy black hair, "top floor." The man opened the door, sticking his arm out the exit and smiling at the both of them, and Annie led Armin out of the elevator.

"Thank you, sir," Armin called back to him as they stepped onto the floor, and the worked smirked at him, winking, and he closed the elevator doors with a grunt.

Armin looked around them, seeing a single door way to his left, and a sitting room with tables and newspapers to his right with another doorway on the wall that must lead to the roof.

Annie had slipped her hand out of his pocket and into her own, finding a key and pushing it into the lock and opening the door to the room. She turned to him with a sigh, tilting her head almost apologetically and entering the room as she began to slip her coat off.

Armin followed behind her slowly, closing the door behind him and locking the door, assuming it would be for the better since she'd kept it locked in the first place.

He turned around, his jaw dropping once again at the size of the area. Immediately in front of him was a short hallway that led to a large living room area. There was a two person sofa, white and modern, another white love seat sitting behind the table that sat in front of the opposite sofa. It was mostly carpeted until it reached the kitchen to the right of the hallway. It had beautiful pale grey and brown stone countertops and appliances that looked fresh off the assembly line.

He looked at her, and she was now behind the counter, heels parked behind the bar that was attached to the counter on the living room side, and coat hanging on one of three iron high-chairs. He slid his jacket off his back, feeling his face burning from the change in temperature.

"You don't have a fire place," he said with a half grin, his mind reeling as to how her place was so warm without a fire burning. He spun in a circle before his eyes settled on her. The place was comfortable inside, but very spacious and extravagant.

"New innovation, they call it the thermostat. It doesn't roll into production until 1927. They don't think all the bugs are out of it yet, but the inventor and producer work for me anyways so I had one installed."

He stood behind the counter, elbows on the top as he watched her lean over the sink in her short-sleeved dress, and wash her hands. He raised a brow, still trying to comprehend how much power and money she possessed to have all these luxuries. Her hair was tussled slightly, the long stands at the sides tucked behind her ears and her dress pressed tighter to her body that he thought it was back at the bar.

Armin looked to his right, seeing two doors, both shut, and inferred that they were the bathroom and bedroom. He turned back to her, seeing her raise up on her tip toes to reach something up in the cabinet.

"How long have you lived here?" he asked cooly, trying to pry his eyes away from her body while she wasn't watching.

She grabbed whatever she was looking for and set two glasses on the table alongside a bottle of light brown liquid. She placed her hands against the table and shifted her weight, her hip popping out to one side, a look that only made Armin more exasperated.

"About a year or two," she replied, prying open the bottle. She bit her bottom lip with frustration when the top didn't come loose. "I don't stay in the same place for very long." The top popped off and she "hmf'ed" proudly to herself.

Armin breathed, laughing to himself, "I never took you for an Egg," he said to himself, looking around again until his eyes landed on her. She wore a frown and furrowed brows, hurt by his comment.

He panicked and scrambled for an answer, "I didn't mean it in a bad way, mi-Annie, I'm just... surprised?"

She quirked her brow, holding the open bottle in her hand.

"That I'm rich or that I live this way?" She asked in a soft manor, but to Armin is still sounded like an accusation. He sighed and smiled weakly as she poured each of them a quarter glass. She must not have been that angry...

"Neither... I mean, I knew you were rich from your clothes and what you told me," she looked up at him with surprise, "and I knew you lived here but I didn't take you for someone who indulged in this lifestyle."

She set the glass in front of him and he wrapped his fingers around it with a "thank you" under his breath. She brought her glass to her lips, still standing behind the bar with one leg crossed behind the other and a thoughtful look on her face. He wondered how her eyes could move so much when he could barely take his own off of her. She took a sip and dabbed her lips together afterwords. Armin looked down at his glass, forcing a brave face, and rose it up.

"You don't have to drink," she called out, amused. He jerked his head up.

"What?"

She smirked and set the glass down onto her counter, leaning down and crossing her arms against the countertop. He didn't look when the collar of her dress dipped lower than it should have.

"You don't drink, and that's fine with me," she said in her royal voice, "just as long as you don't stop _me_ from drinking."

He smiled back at her, "Are we planning on having future occasions where we drink together but I don't actually taste any?"

She smirked slyly, "Many, I hope." And before he could respond she was moving around the counter and towards him. "I don't indulge in this lifestyle," she started to explain, standing several feet off with her drink in her hand, "I just figure that if I have copious amounts of money I should at least spend some on a nice place... But I see where you're coming from." She looked around, spinning, and when she turned back to face Armin, he told himself that what he was feeling was falling in love. "It doesn't really suit me." she shrugged and took another sip.

"Tell me more, Annie." He breathed and her face brightened. She liked having someone interested in her, it seemed. She looked down into her drink and traced her finger across the rim of the glass.

"I'm twenty-four," she said, her eyes unfocused against the ground. Armin watched her thinking, her eyelids moving every so often, "I was born in the spring of 1897... it always amused me that I was born in one century and lived in another." the corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she shifted her weight again, still looking away from Armin but this time to the small window at the wall. "My mother died when I was young, but apparently I'm her spitting image." she laughed to herself. "I went to boarding school for most of my life, I went to college for three years in business studies, I don't have a lot of friends but it never bothers me," she turned to him with a mischievous look in her eye, "except you, but I don't know if we'd call ourselves friends."

Armin smirked and leaned back against the bar, watching her finish her drink and roll her toes on the carpet.

"Talk to me about you, now, Armin." she said, walking past him and placing her glass in the sink.

He shrugged, passing her his glass and she took it and placed her mouth on the side, taking a sip and swallowing.

"I don't know what to tell you," he said, "I'm quite boring... what's happening now is probably the most abnormal thing that's happened so far in my life." she was amused by this and rolled her neck like she was tired.

"I'm sure that's not true," she hummed, "I can't be the first girl to sweep you off your feet and take you home." she spoke as if she were going to wink but she didn't, and instead poured the rest of the alcohol down into the sink and looked at him expectantly.

Armin's face flashed red, "You'd be surprised."

She stood still, thinking. "Why don't I just ask you what I want to know?" Armin bit his bottom lip and nodded, happy that she suggested it and feeling his fingers tap in rhythm against the table.

"I'm all yours."

She glanced his way when he said that and she smiled like she'd hoped he'd speak those words.

"Alright then, let's cut to the chase then," she said in a louder voice than she'd had before, "how many girls have you been with?" she asked with a quirked brow. Armin's blush only became hotter on his face.

"Are we counting the crush I had when I was eight years old?" He asked jokingly and she nodded, leaning against the counter again, and he noticed how short she was with a grin. "Alright then, five."

"How many girls have you _been with_?" she asked in a bold and straightforward voice. Armin concluded that she was most definitely a business woman.

"Two." her lips drew back when he gave her his calm answer.

"Why don't you drink?" she said, glancing to the still open bottle in front of her.

"My grandfather hated alcohol in the house, and my parents died in an accident. The other guy was drunk out of his mind."

Annie's eyes softened. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." he shrugged. "I didn't really know them..."

Annie paused, and inhaled then asking, "How old are you?"

"Twenty three... I was born in the winter of 1897 and I like being a two century guy as well."

Annie smirked, "It doesn't bother you that I'm older?"

"No, not at all," he said laughing, "it's only a couple months..." and in reality it never really mattered to him. His first real crush had been his best friend and she was almost a year older, and most of the other girl's he'd ever liked were the same or more. He almost blushed again, thinking that perhaps it was a trend in his interests.

"Favorite color." she whispered.

"Blue. Like your eyes." he whispered back, leaning over the counter and resting his chin on his arms.

"Are you flirting with me?" she asked with a quirked brow.

"I don't think so."

"Because you know, there's no point," she whispered back to him, "you're already in my hotel room."

He snickered and hid his face in his arms. He tried to let the butterflies inside him settle but then he felt something on his face. Her fingers curled around his skin, pushing the hair back and tickling the skin behind his ear. She twirled it in her fingers before he looked up at her.

"This is so weird." he breathed, she lifted a shoulder and smiled.

"Don't try to change the subject I still have questions." she pulled her arm away and stretched them upwards, moving from around the counter to face him. She reached forward and tugged at his arms moving him to the center of the room and he obliged. Arrmin's butterflies never left as they fell into step.

"Do you like dancing?"

"Do you?" he retorted with a laugh.

"I already told you that you don't have to flirt with me." she breathed, letting go of his hands and running hers up his middle and around his neck. His hands landed on her hips awkwardly and all he could do was smile down at her.

"I love it but I'm no good."

"Do you dance with girls?" she asked quickly. He laughed again, airily.

"No, I don't have time, usually."

"What takes up your time, hmm?" she asked, her eyes dulled but focused on his. He felt hot and nervous under her gaze but although it had it's scary effects it made him excited too.

"I take classes.. I'm a semester away from a doctorate's degree in English language and literature." her eyebrows raised, making it obvious that she was impressed with him.

"But you're obviously not taking too many to be here with me." she hummed. He laughed.

"I don't have any more classes until the fall, actually. I finished my spring semester early with special exams that got me into better courses... It's like taking the final before you take the class."

"Smart boy," she huffed, "you must be proud... but then what else takes up your time, since that last bit about classes was a lie?" she asked, moving farther and farther away from him but keeping her hands on his shoulders.

"I have a job," he said with a soft grin, "I work at a law firm as a secretary... I just sort papers, rewrite, and type up essays and documents."

"Do you like the typewriter?" she asked with a chuckle, pulling away from him altogether. He held on to her waist with his hands, pulling her back in with a soft expression.

"It's nice, but I'd rather just print."

She pushed her palms against his wrists, forcing him to let go of her, leaving him stranded in the middle of the floor.

"What about your friends?" she asked, "Are they bimbos or thugs?" she asked casually. Armin almost let out a laugh, knowing he couldn't really say.

"No they're smart like me, I guess... most of them work in restaurants and clothing shops."

"So they _are_ thugs," Annie responded quickly, popping a cork that she'd gotten from a drawer beside her into the top of the drink and opening the the top cabinet, shoving the bottle to the back and closing the door again with a soft grunt.

Armin sighed, closing his eyes, "Not all of them... I mean, if you live here you're bound to end up involved somehow." he opened his eyes and her frown and serious eyes told him she wasn't at all happy with what he'd said.

"You're involved with the mobs?" she asked.

"No, no, no," Armin said, waving his hands in front of him, "I swear to God no, I'm the one that tries to get them straight," he said, defending himself. She looked relieved.

"You promise you aren't?" she asked him quietly, her fingers interlacing unlacing each other every few seconds.

"Yes, I do." he said, trying to smile. She returned it and turned away.

"How do you feel about traveling?" she asked and he turned around, pretending to look around the place again, narrowing his eyes.

"I'd love to, but I don't have the money."

"How are you paying for your school bills?" she asked him, her voice muffled as she searched for something in the kitchen again.

"I have a loan." She hummed with disappointment.

Armin straightened his posture and looked to her, sliding his hands into his pockets and watching her body move inside her clothes with observant eyes. She was rearranging the cabinets in a nervous panic for some reason.

"Are you afraid to kiss me, Annie?" he asked and she flinched. She whipped around with a hand on her hip and a frown.

"Why would you say that?" she snapped at him and he laughed.

"Because you came over here and got close and then you backed away, and now you're cleaning and you won't come over here, something that I think you've been wanting and planning since you saw me in that bar-"

"I'm asking you questions," she said quietly in her own defense, "I'm not scared of you in the slightest." Armin smiled because he knew that wasn't true at all.

"How do you get away with having liquor?"

She smiled and winked. "Connections," she replied, "but I'm the one asking questions, love."

There was a moment of silence and Armin licked his lips in wait of her next question.

"What happened to your grandfather?" she asked. Armin swallowed and felt a pain in his chest, and this time he stopped himself and looked down to the floor.

"He died in the Great War."

Annie's head snapped up and she frowned, although he couldn't see. She sighed from her spot and stretched her legs again, running her fingers through her hair and fluffing it as she came out from the kitchen.

"I'm sorry." she whispered and he shrugged.

"I wish I had been me instead." he admitted, blinking away the sadness he was feeling, trying to understand why he was telling her all this in the first place.

"How'd you avoid the war?" she asked slowly making her way towards him. He looked up, thinking.

"I had just started college, and I'm not much of a fighter." he chuckled, softly, turning up his chin to see her serious face in front of him. She placed her hand on his cheek, smirking and reaching up to slide her fingers against the nape of his neck, bringing him closer so that his breath tinged hers and he shivered in anticipation, knowing exactly what was coming next. Perhaps she hadn't been as afraid of him as he'd thought.

"Well if you want me, you're going to have to become one."

He heard himself inhale quickly as he closed his eyes to kiss her, and their lips touched briefly, long enough to send a tingling sensation down his spine and through his fingertips.

She tasted like freshly poured champagne on New Year's and when he grabbed her hips and tugged her as close as he could, he figured he never wanted time to pass again.

* * *

When he woke up the next morning he was slightly disoriented. He sat up on his elbows and yawned, unaware that he wasn't where he normally woke up. He stretched open his eyes, blinking away the sleep and grabbing the thick sheets and thinking to himself that there were more than he remembered putting on the night before. Then his senses came to him and he sat up completely, feeling around him to find that the bed was empty, and he sat alone.

He breathed in, ruffling his own hair as he let out a heavy breath. He flopped back down onto the bed, blinking more as he turned his head to the left, seeing the sliding door slightly open and letting the cold breeze in. He could hear the traffic outside, people shouting and businesses coming to life. It must be around nine in the morning, and he usually never slept this long...

His eyes caught a figure standing outside the door in a loose white shirt, possibly his own, and tight black bottoms that he assumed to be leggings of some sort. Her hair was tussled and blonde, familiar, and he smiled when he saw her toned back and legs, feeling the warm touch of her skin against him from his spot so far away.

Armin flipped over and laid on his stomach, tucking a plush pillow from above him under his arms and laying his head against his arms, watching her move and stretch and shiver against the cold air.

He sighed, biting his tongue and thinking about everything he knew about her, reciting everything she'd said to him back in his head, memorizing the tones in her voice, memorizing the way she pronounced things, the noises she made, the way she laughed, the things that made her laugh...

He squinted his eyes to see the mark on her neck, barely able to see it from his place because her hair still covered it. She turned around and looked tiredly surprised, pushing off the railing and slipping inside, closing the door behind her and smirking as she came inside. Her face was red from the chill and she pressed her back against the door, tilting her head with electric eyes that roared quietly in front of him.

"Hi." she whispered, her voice stuck in her throat.

Armin buried his face into the pillow and scooted over on the bed, an invitation. She took it and trotted over, feet still pale from the New York morning winds, and slid in beside him, sitting at first and then slipping her toes and feet under the covers. Soon her whole body was immersed under the covers and she laid on her side beside him, raising her head with one arm and leaving the other in between them. He moved his hand and laced his fingers with hers and her face flushed.

"Hi." he finally responded, stomach churning as his limbs tingled. She made him so, so nervous. He asked himself why as she pushed her hair behind her hand and watched his lips.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked quietly, pulling her hand back placing it on top of his, drawing circles around the top of his hand. It tickled but he didn't tell her, and shifted onto his side.

"Better than I have in a long time. And you?" he asked. For a second she looked down in doubt but nodded anyways. He wondered why she'd lied to him.

He scooted closer to her and she stopped moving, letting him wrap both his arms around her and drag her limp body on top of him, holding her by her middle and looking up at her. She crossed her arms over his chest and rested her chin on her arms. He undid his grip and started to run his fingers from the top of her shoulder blades to the small of her back with shallow breaths.

"Do you have a tattoo?" he asked her quietly and she tensed, her hand instantly reaching to the back of her neck with panicked eyes. He raised his brows, "I mean, I don't mind, I just didn't know that that was really... in style now... I mean, I didn't..."

She moved her hand and re-propped up her chin, blinking as she looked down at him. "I do. Does that bother you?"

He shook his head against the pillow and rested his hands on her back.

"I won't be getting one, though," he joked, watching her eyes flutter closed and her hands curl up under her. She didn't say a word, and looked as if she were about to fall asleep. Armin panicked and bit his lip, desperately hoping she'd stay awake.

"What is it?" he asked quickly, and her head shifted.

After a long intake of breath, she let out, "It's a number," with a sigh, moving her hands, pushing up off of him and rolling off the bed. He frowned, slightly disappointed, but sat up and kicked his legs over the side. She stood so her back faced him and she bent over backwards, slightly, reaching up and lifting the back tail of her hair to reveal a roman numeral.

"Twenty?" he asked, standing and tracing the double "X" on the back of her neck. She pulled away as soon as his finger touched her skin. Annie shivered and forced a smile, dropping the hair down and returning to her natural melancholy face.

"Yes." she replied curtly, poking at his bare chest and the lining of his shorts. "I'm not making you breakfast or anything," she stated plainly, "but I ordered room service so you might as well eat."

She nudged him away and walked out of the room and into the kitchen, dancing on her toes from being too cold.

"I'm not much of a breakfast person," he admitted, "But I'll eat toast or bacon, or whatever they bring." he smiled, closed lipped and she turned to face him from behind the counter. "Put some clothes on or something," Armin said laughing, watching her begin to shiver.

She shook her head stubbornly, "I'm wearing clothes, you idiot." He felt a wave of laughter and he turned away from her, curling his toes and picking up his pants from the side of the bed, slipping them on and then finding his undershirt, putting that on too.

"Bathroom?" he asked, stepping outside the bedroom and knocking on the door to his right with his middle finger knuckle. She was in the kitchen now and she nodded.

"Go ahead, there's not much in there." she blinked and he smiled, opening the door and closing it behind him. Annie stood in the middle of the kitchen, unsure of what to do with herself for the moment. She heard him flush and then turn the sink on, and she smirked. "You can shower if you want!" she called out to him, "There's towels in the cabinet below the sink.

She heard the sink shut off and the door to the small closet open up. It closed again and he replied, "Thank you!"

And in a moment she heard rushing water hitting the bottom of the plastic floor and leak down the drain. She tensed when she heard clothes fall to the ground and then a fit of humming.

The tune coming from inside the door made her grasp the front of her shirt and tug it tightly against her, a warm feeling at the pit of her stomach making her woozy. She huffed in dissatisfaction and tip-toed into the bedroom, straightening the covers and pillows to her liking and moving to her closet, unbuttoning and then dropping the shirt she was wearing onto the floor and peeling off the thigh-highs that stuck to her legs. She slipped into a step-in and picked his shirt up again, putting it on without buttoning and rolling up the sleeves to her elbows.

She stopped to listen again, hearing him singing some recognizable song from a few years back, but she couldn't hear the lyrics that he sang, just the tune. She smiled to herself and ran her hands over her face, wiping her eyes and trying not to glance at the bed.

Annie pushed her hair back with one hand and used the other to warm up her other arm. She sauntered into the next room, slipping onto the couch and tucking her legs underneath her, resting her elbow on the chair's arm and laying the other across her lap.

She waited several minutes and the singing stopped, bringing her out of her daze. She turned when the door opened and he stood their with soaking wet hair and his clothes from earlier on him. There was a small towel around his neck and he ruffled his hair with it with a broad and excited smile.

"I've never actually used one of those before," he said to her, looking back in the bathroom.

"A shower?" she raised a brow and leaned back against the back of the couch. He nodded and dried his hair again with a goofy grin, and when he took the towel away there was a mess of blonde hair sticking in all directions. She forced herself not to laugh and he smirked, trying his best to make her.

"I've only got a tub at my apartment and the water's so expensive... I probably take a bath once every two or three days." he said. She didn't move or cringe or react in the slightest and he huffed in embarrassment. "I wish you wouldn't stare at me like that," he said sheepishly, causing her to stir and stand, making her way over to him. She stood in front of him on her toes, messing with his damp hair until she got it to flatten out again.

"I only stare at you because you're nice to look at."

He smirked and leaned in to kiss her, but they were interrupted by a knock.

Annie pulled back and away from him, ambling to the door and looking through the peep hole. Armin was about to ask her about her state of dress but he let it go as she opened the door slightly and took the tray from the man outside.

She hurried inside, placing the silver platter on the counter, and rushing back to the door, leaning against the wall and closing the door so it was only a crack, hiding whoever was there from Armin's view.

He heard them whisper briefly and she closed and locked the door, looking down as she walked into the kitchen and found a plate from one of the cabinets.

"Did you know them?" he asked, wrapping the towel around his neck and walking to the bar, his hand briefly trailing on her back before he sat.

She served two pieces of bacon and several sliced of toast onto the plate and slid it to the place where he sat. He frowned, feeling guilty for not having done that himself but letting it go, only thinking to himself that she wouldn't have let him in the first place.

"Well, I own this hotel too." she said casually, and Armin almost choked on the bite he'd just taken.

"You what?"

Annie raised a brow, unamused, and stared at him with one hand on her hip. "How about from now on if we go somewhere together we assume I own the place or the manager works for me?"

Armin nodded obediently, astonished yet again.

Annie looked satisfied with herself, though, taking a bite off of a piece of bacon and sitting on the counter beside Armin's plate.

He felt his face get hot and he tried not to look her way. She crossed her legs as she ate the whole slice as she stared into space.

"Well, you'll be very disappointed if we go to my place." he said nonchalantly, resting both elbows on the counter and staring straight ahead of him as he munched. She didn't respond but she smiled to herself, hopping from her place and sitting in the chair beside him, watching him eat, and when he'd finished she cleared the plate.

"Armin, I won't be disappointed." she said calmly. He frowned.

"Don't be too certain." he replied, trotting into the bathroom and rinsing out his teeth before going back into the living area, and she was on him in a second, hands in his hair and hot mouth against his, kissing him harder than he remembered she did.

She pulled away and he was in an immediate state of flustered.

"Let's go out or something tonight." she breathed against his lips, pressing another long and sweet kiss to his mouth. He stuttered an answer.

"Y-Yeah sure, anything you want, doll." he replied, and she froze.

"I told you, Armin," she was pulling him against her as she backed into the bedroom again, "it's just Annie." she whispered through his hair, kicking the door closed behind them with a hum of satisfaction.

* * *

**A/N: Oh goodness this was so long... I hope you enjoyed it! I probably won't update again until December since these chapters will be of similar lengths. **

**Here's some insight into the historical background to the fic: **

_**A note on the setting: **__  
__**I've only ever been to New York City once, and it wasn't during the 20's, so my street names and locations may not be completely accurate all the time so bear with me. This specific timeline takes place soon after Prohibition started, and NYC was a hot spot for speakeasies and importing the newly illegal alcoholic beverages. The alcohol that Annie has in her home is illegal as well as the alcohol that they have at the bar where they originally meet. **_

_**Terminology**_**: **

**doll - a woman**

**cloche hat - a women's article of clothing, popular with upper class but not limited to in the slightest**

**edge - a buzz, drunken feeling**

**dame - a woman**

**"check or cash?" - "kiss me now or kiss me later?" cash is another term for 'a kiss'**

**Egg - a person with wealth (see The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald; West Egg, East Egg) **

**Great War - World War 1**

_**Origin of names: **__  
__**While looking up Annie and Armin's particular names, I encountered people with similar or same surname, so I went with what sounded most correct for the particular name, but this is an unimportant detail so I apologize if I got it incorrect. (I'm not sure if anything has been determined by the actual author or not, so I didn't base it from anyone else's assumptions but my own. **_

_**Thank you all for reading, please review/follow, and have a great week! :) **_


	2. Chapter Two: March, 1921

**A/N: Dedicated to Kassandra because she really is the perfect beta- I'm sorry you have to deal with my crappy first draft writing, and thank you so much!**

**Sorry that this update was late, I'm glad to have gotten it out before school started back. I hope everyone enjoyed their breaks and that this may slightly ease the pain of fast approaching responsibilities. **

* * *

March

1921

It had become apparent that she'd done this before; she'd brought someone up to her room.

Armin received increasingly strange glances from the elevator operator each time he frequented the hotel room. He was made especially uncomfortable when he decided to bring flowers, his satchel, or perhaps an overnight bag to spend the week. The employees always looked as if they'd like to ask him questions, but instead they did the exact opposite. He was constantly ignored and avoided as soon as he entered the hotel. Armin thought their behavior was odd, since the hotel business was generally more social than others. He tried to figure out why they didn't seem to like him, but after several weeks of trying, he gave up. In turn and in defeat, he decided to ignore them as well.

He frowned every time he entered the elevator, and on Annie's birthday that year, and for the first time since Armin had fist come through, so did the operator.

They stood in silence, the other man tapping his toes nervously and looking extremely upset, or perhaps just in an awkward position with Armin in the elevator with him. Armin himself was uncomfortable, because the other kept glancing at him with a deep frown and furrowed brows. Before they arrived at the top floor, the operator finally turned around to face him.

"How does a guy like you catch a dame like that?" he asked, bewildered and huffing with annoyance. Armin just stared back with wide eyes. The man nodded, prompting him to answer.

"I-I-" Armin stuttered, confused and wondering if he'd heard the question correctly, "I don't know, we just met in a bar and uh," he paused and laughed to himself, watching the man's expression get more and more angry, "I don't know."

The other man looked exasperated and turned around, returning to his original position and sighing loudly.

"Damn," he said softly, "she's been here almost two years and she's never brought anyone up this much before... sometimes it's a rich guy or a dark fella but never," he stopped and turned back to Armin, "a kid like you."

Armin shrugged, slightly offended but letting it slide past him without any real harm.

"Thanks, I guess." Armin said with a soft laugh, feeling the elevator shift and stop. He watched the elevator doors open and tipped his head to the operator, seeing him roll his eyes before closing the doors again. Armin laughed to himself and reached into his pocket, glancing down at his newly purchased suit. He was more than proud of it, having saved up for quite a long time to get something like this. He knew it probably wouldn't impress Annie, as nothing really ever did, but he knew she'd appreciate the gesture. That was always enough for him.

He pulled his key from his pocket, adjusting his bow tie before sliding the key into the lock and stepping inside the door with a smile.

He closed the door behind him and turned around, seeing that she was walking out of the bathroom just as he arrived. Her eyes caught him and she stood in the center of the room with a faint smile tracing her lips.

"Hello," she said, expressionless, and stepped into the kitchen. Armin could barely breathe, seeing her pale cream dress swish as she walked. The collar rested at her collar bone, but the back dipped low towards her mid back. The rest of the dress hung down in frills with bright and shimmering lining.

"You look as stunning as ever." he said to her, pushing his key back into his pocket and sliding his top coat off.

She nodded a silent thanks, her eyes gazing downward to look at the dress on herself. It was something to be marveled at. She spun around, watching the fabric follow her lazily, and when she looked up Armin had moved. He now sat on the couch, his jacket hanging over the arm. His eyes were closed and his head rested on the back and she noted that he looked even more tired than usual.

"As do you," she tried to say, but her voice faded out as she watched him.

Her eyes moved around the room, noticing the subtle changes. His things had somehow found their way here in her home. Small things infiltrated the area first, an extra toothbrush and his jacket. Then came his schoolwork and pajamas. Annie didn't really realize that he was slowly moving in until she found herself doing laundry with his shirts and pants mixed in with her own piles of clothes.

It didn't bother her at all; it was actually kind of endearing, but she still liked to notice the small things, regardless of how it made her feel.

She closed the drawer that she had previously been fooling with and walked over to him, the click of her heals sounding off the tile.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Her brow was raised, and she shot him a concerned glance. He didn't move but to breathe. She almost called his name until he finally inhaled and spoke up.

"Have you brought many men up here?" he asked, raising his head and opening his eyes to watch her stiffen. She frowned.

"Only a few for business..." she said, "Why do you ask?"

Armin glanced away, looking slightly distressed and unsettled by this. She moved in closer, standing above him with hands on his knees.

"The man in the elevator told me you'd brought others up here before me and he was," Armin shifted, "surprised that you chose to let me continue to visit." Annie's brows rose and she reached upwards, pushing her hair behind her ear. After a moment of staring at each other Annie's face turned back to its regular expression and she slid her hands down her dress, hiking up the bottom and spreading her legs. She rested each knee on either side of him on the couch, straddling him with a tilted head and an open mouth.

"Are you jealous, Armin?" she asked, her tone of voice more cheerful than seductive. He almost scoffed, but her position was making him much too nervous to respond in that way.

"No, I just didn't know why you didn't tell me-"

She silenced him with a brush of her lips against his. He swallowed and leaned back, his hands landing on her sides as she pushed forward. Her hand crept upwards, tugging at the ends of his tie and causing it to unfurl on his chest.

"Well I'm with you now," she breathed, kissing him again and making his blood burn, "so you don't have to worry about any other men."

Armin pulled his head away from her warm lips and smirked. "Okay." he replied. Her hands settled on his shoulders, but he still frowned at her. She shifted, feeling anxious under his stare. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, dragging her lips along his neck and under his jaw. She pulled her hands up, taking his cheeks in her palms and looking to his eyes with a serious and tender face.

"Armin," she breathed into his ear, "the only man," she kissed his ear and then his cheek, feeling his warm skin radiate under her lips, "I care about," she kissed his forehead lightly and then the tip of his nose, lowering her head again and breathing over his lips, "is you."

"I believe you, okay?" he responded softly with a simper on his lips. His mind quickly changed as he gazed back at her and saw the fervent sincerity in her eyes. Something pawed at him to apologize for being so condemning but as he continued to stare at her he knew there was nothing to forgive. Maybe he had overreacted but he was still swimming in curiosity.

Armin swallowed when she ran her thumbs over his cheekbones, and struggled to catch his breath when she touched noses with him. He blinked when she kissed him again, her hands tightening and shifting to the back of his head, kneading his hair as she smiled against his lips. She pulled away and gazed at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Why don't we just stay here tonight instead of-"

"No, Annie, I told you," he said with a change of tone. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her middle and standing, lifting her off the couch and setting her down, "I'm taking you out and that's final."

Her bottom lip poked out in disappointment, a rare treat of expressed emotion, but Armin cured it with a quick peck and a smile.

"Come on, it's your birthday," he said with a chuckle, feeling her nimble fingers at his neck, tying and adjusting his tie as she frowned. He pushed her hair back and smiled at her, feeling her pull her hands away. She crossed her arms in front of him, his hands still on the sides of her face, and raised her brows.

"I've told you before, I don't... usually celebrate." she blinked and pulled away from him, leaving him yet again at the center of the room alone. Annie adjusted her hair and walked into the bedroom, raising her voice as she searched the room. "I don't see why it's a big deal... It's just marking another day of the year full of insignificant details," she called back, and Armin felt slightly hurt, "and I don't think my birth has any real relevance, or, well, enough relevance to go out and spend money on a nice meal." her voice increased in volume as she came back into the room, her eyes on the item in her fingers. She carried a necklace in her hands, walking up beside him and turning her back to him. She motioned for him to help her.

He stepped forward with a frown, and reaching over her shoulders he took the end pieces of the golden chain and pinned them together.

"Don't you think I'm a significant detail, though?" he asked thoughtfully and she stiffened.

"That's not what I meant," she said with a heavy sigh, biting her tongue. Why couldn't she catch a break, today of all days?

"Then what do you mean?" he asked with raised brows, clamping the ends together and setting the necklace against the back of her neck. She spun around to face him with hardened eyes.

"I meant that I shouldn't get to celebrate my birthday if I haven't," she stopped, sighing again in desperation, "I mean... no, you know what, I don't know what I mean." she reached up and rubbed her temples with closed eyes. She found herself repeating what she'd said earlier, "I just don't see the point."

She heard him shift above her and opened her eyes again, watching his hand move to her chest and pick up the small golden locket at the center of her body. He took it in his fingers and ran his thumb over the shining top with a half-smile.

"Your birth is important to me," he said with a soft laugh and she rolled her eyes, "actually you're important to me in general." he let it fall back against her chest and he smiled.

"Okay." she whispered, rolling her eyes once more and taking his hand.

"Okay?" he asked with raised brows, "As in you'll go?"

She smiled softly, "Well I don't have much choice," she replied, "and any time spent with you is never wasted in my book." she admitted. His smile grew until his entire face brightened and he squeezed her hand.

"How do you like Italian food?" he asked, tugging her close and kissing her forehead.

She smirked and followed the rushing and excited Armin out the door, "I adore it."

Of course she'd adore the restaurant she'd funded at the beginning of her career, but she wouldn't tell Armin that little detail. She followed him inside, her eyes wandering around the restaurant with careful inspection. Things hadn't changed dramatically from her previous visit several years back, and she found herself satisfied with the smiling host that was waiting for them when they entered the dimly lit establishment.

"I made a reservation a few days ago," Armin said to the host who looked incredibly familiar to her, but she let it slide out of her mind without a second thought.

The host nodded with a goofy smile and reached behind his podium and grabbed two thick, folded pieces of paper, and gestured for them to follow him. Armin glanced back at Annie to check on her state and she nodded at him with a smile, easing his nerves. They continued farther back into the crowded and loud restaurant, the smell of tomatoes and freshly baked bread filling the air as they went along. The worker showed them to an isolated table near the back, a quieter setting than the rest of the place. The table was set for two with a short candle at the center, and a card set on one of the plates.

Annie shot Armin a quizzical glance and allowed the host to sit her in the nearest chair. She nodded to him in thanks and watched Armin shake hands with the man and smile as he sat down in the opposite chair.

Annie glanced towards the disappearing host and then turned her attention to Armin who was smiling smugly in front of her.

"How fancy," she said, trying to control her smile as she reached for the card that was conveniently standing on her plate. He hid his smile with his hands and nodded for her to open it, and she did. Her eyes nearly watered when she saw his messy cursive writing scribbled across the page.

"Dearest Annie, I sincerely hope that we'll be together again like this for your next birthday, and many more after that," she choked on her own voice at the last line, "with love, Your Armin Arlert."

She set the card down and struggled not to wipe her eyes, feeling foolish for becoming so emotional so quickly. Armin, on the other hand, was feeling very pleased with himself at her reaction. He wouldn't ever admit it to her but he found simple pleasure in eliciting emotional reactions from her. He knew she wasn't mindless in any sense but it made him happy to see her care for something, someone. Preferably himself.

"Order what you want," he said finally, drawing himself away from her drowning stare, "and afterwards I've got a treat for you."

She blinked and crossed her hands in her lap. "Oh really?" she asked, placing a single elbow on the table and watching him read over the front of the menu, "how could there possibly be any more than you've already given me?" she knew from the moment he looked up that he knew exactly what she'd meant. He smiled, a blush forming on his cheeks as he looked back down to the menu.

"Just pick something before I change my mind and take you home," he said with a laugh, and Annie's lips rose.

"Then I suppose I shouldn't order at all," she replied subtly, glancing down at her own menu and feeling his burning eyes on her. A few short minutes later, a different worker had come to their table, introducing themselves and taking their orders.

"Whatever the special is," Armin replied with a nod, and the waiter scribbled something on his small pad of paper.

"I'll have," she paused and pointed to the dish on the menu, "Sorry, I'm not sure how you pronounce that." she said with an amused smirk, watching the waiter grin and nod as he continued to scribble.

He nodded and turned away, and Annie watched him move through the room and disappear behind a swinging door. Her eyes moved back to Armin who sat with a hand on the table, tracing the edge of his water glass with a distant look.

"Armin," she breathed, and he looked up instantly with a smile.

"Sorry, sorry, I was..." he shook his head, pulling away and smiling wildly at her. She quirked a brow and he shivered. There was no way he was telling her what he was thinking about.

There was a moment of silence between them as they listened to the bustle of the restaurant coming from the other room. Annie tried her best not to react to the warmth on her face as she watched him scramble for words. She finally took him from his misery with a simple phrase of appreciation.

"Thank you," she said quietly, taking a deep breath and looking around. It took a moment but her eyes finally came to rest on him. He was grinning at her so sincerely that she could feel a transmission of cheer into her own expression. It seemed that nothing made him happier than being with her, and seeing her eyes so bright and happy only made him that much more delighted.

"It was nothing," he said with a soft laugh, pushing his hair back with his fingers, "you're quite special to me," her eyes widened and her cheeks grew rosy. He scoffed and laughed, gesturing around them, "Obviously."

Annie smirked, "Oh, don't you talk all the dolls out for their birthdays?" she joked, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms. Armin rolled his eyes and fought the butterflies in his belly. After this long with her, why did she still make him feel like this? Like a child with a stupid crush? He knew it was much more than that, though.

He swallowed and opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by an odd sight in his peripherals. His eyes shifted to look behind her. He stopped the words from spilling out of his mouth, watching a tall and toned looking man shift his way through the restaurant with a distraught looking face and an apologetic smile to those he encountered. Armin would not have noticed except for the fact that he was making a beeline to their table.

Annie's eyes followed Armin's gaze and when her eyes landed on the man approaching them, her look of joy was dismissed with a deep frown. Her entire face went blank as he grew closer and when he finally reached the table she turned to Armin with an annoyed expression.

"I'm sorry, darling," she said in a cool voice, making the man that was now standing behind her shift in discomfort, "I work with him."

Armin shifted in his chair crossing his arms over the table and lean in. The taller man gave a short nod, and then turned his full attention to Annie. Armin glanced over the man with narrowed eyes, observing his suit, which appeared to be a cheap, black tuxedo paired a thin black hat. His face was long and his arms matched the rest of him, lanky but somehow fatal. Armin found himself slightly intimidated, especially when the man leaned in close to Annie, placing one arm across the back of her chair and looking into her eyes with a serious expression.

The man whispered quietly enough so that Armin could not hear his words, and he could hear his urgent tone accompanied by his frantic hand gestures.

Annie's frown only grew into a look of subtle infuriation, and she motioned for him to get closer, her lips resting only slightly above his ear as she spoke to him. She looked as if she was speaking another language, but her voice didn't carry as far as her dinner date hoped. Armin frowned and furrowed his brow. It looked like a kind of intimate exchange, and this made him furious.

Of course he told himself he'd allow her to have freedoms, after all she was phenomenal: a woman practically running the city, but something about this went too far. When the man stood up straight, he wiped his brow and looked back to Armin with a nod that seemed like more of an apology than a gesture of friendliness. As soon as he looked back to Annie and received a sweep of the hand, he began to shuffle through the restaurant again.

Annie closed her eyes and sighed heavily, regaining her calm look, and opened her eyes to look at the frowning Armin who sat before her.

"Who was that?" he asked nervously, glancing behind her to catch the image of the man speeding away. Before Annie could answer, Armin caught a glimpse of the back of the man's neck, and squinted his eyes when the black mark on his skin looked eerily familiar.

Annie settled into her chair. She bit her lip, letting it slide from her teeth as she situated the utensils on the table. She looked very uncomfortable from the encounter, but she didn't say a word. The blonde forced herself to look up and blinked once.

"His name was Bertholdt Fubar, I've worked with him for several years now." she responded, setting her elbows on the table before looking to Armin again.

"Why does he make you so flustered?" he asked, his voice tinged with jealously as he leaned back in his chair. Her brows raised but she didn't move, and Armin could have sworn he saw her smiling.

"He just had some news about an investment," she answered quickly, tilting her head with amusement, "why are you so upset?"

Armin frowned again, huffing a breath of annoyance and glaring at her. "Because I didn't..."

"Want anyone here besides us?" she finished his sentence with an amused smirk, sitting up and placing her hands in her lap. She shifted her feet under the table so their legs brushed. Armin moved to avoid her teasing.

"Have you..." he swallowed and shook his head, and when he looked back to Annie she looked appalled.

"Brought him upstairs?" she asked with a look of anger. Armin shifted back and looked to his lap, guilt spreading through his chest as they continued to sit. She clicked her teeth and scooted further up in her chair, reaching across the table and touching the tip of his nose with her finger, making him look up in response. "Don't be such a wet blanket," she whispered, making him roll his eyes with a slight grin, "I was really having a swell time until my business associate ruined it." she tilted her chin forward, leaning over the table and drawing her hand back.

Armin paused and sighed, pushing his hair back as he sat up. "So it wasn't good news, I guess?" he asked, decidedly interested in the words expressed rather than the relationship itself. He had convinced himself a long time ago that she'd tell him when she was ready, but perhaps he was giving her too much credit.

Her lips upturned in a genuine smile and she glanced away, embarrassed. "No, it wasn't good, but that's all unimportant now," she said, adjusting her chair again and drawing circles on the table with her index finger, "now I'm just wondering why our food isn't out yet..."

* * *

Of course the waiter gave his apologies when the food finally came. Annie took several bites but not enough to satisfy Armin. He willed her to eat more but she claimed the food was just too rich, and after a long and light-hearted battle she settled on stealing some of his before they left.

He took her arm as she stood, letting her move out from in front of the chair before sliding it under the table. They walked arm-in-arm to the front. Armin paid and nodded to the familiar host who continuously glanced at Annie with wide and frantic eyes. She herself went unfazed, but as they left she winked which left the man in a frightened and chaotic state that only confused Armin even more.

He didn't ask her what had occurred, not even as they hopped into a cab and shifted closer together in the backseat. The older driver pretended not to notice, but the smile on his face was brighter than the lights that lit the way down the road.

"Across the bridge," Armin said as Annie settled against his side and under his arm, "Rose Avenue," he said. The driver nodded and put the roaring engine into gear, making them push down the road with the smell of gasoline and smoke.

Armin tried not to think about how warm she was against him as they went. He wasn't uncomfortable from the heat, but her presence. The weather was increasingly warmer as time went on, and the chilly January nights were far behind him. It was cold, yes, but a person could find a sort of discomfort if they got too hot at any time of the day or night. Armin wasn't as bothered as Annie, who liked to shed clothing and lay across furniture nearly nude without warning, snapping at him if he got too close, or falling asleep against the cool surfaces without a word to him.

Tonight was different, though, than the nights from the previous week. The outside air was cool and dry, causing a shiver to run up Annie back, and then in turn up Armin's.

They didn't look at each other as they rode, but Armin's hand snaked around her and played with the folds of her dress at her side. Her hands rested in her lap as her head sat against his shoulder.

Armin swallowed. They'd never visited his apartment before, but Annie had been funding it for several weeks now. They had an agreement that if he quit his job she'd fill up his time and make sure his bills were paid. At first he was frustrated and hesitant, feeling more like a burden than anything else, but she persuaded him and he gave in. His boss didn't mind, him having only worked there part time, and Armin soon shifted into the idea. He studied regularly and got through his tests, and she kept her promise. The free time he did have was spent all with her, and if not with her, in her hotel room, or running errands for her.

It was never a bother to him, doing things for her. She was already doing so much for him that there wasn't a question to the lengths he would go to make her happy.

Sometimes even a smile seemed to make her happier than he'd ever seen her, but he was never sure. There was nothing definite with Annie Leonhardt.

Just like how he hadn't woken up beside her since the first time they were together. It was always something different. Most of the time she was outside with a smoking cigarette perched in her fingers, elegance and mystery all in her slanted sort of stance. She usually dropped it as soon as she noticed he was awake, and when he asked if she had smoked before she just smiled and pressed a thick kiss against his neck, telling him that once you became addicted to one thing you might as well be addicted to another.

He almost gasped when the car stopped and the driver turned around with a smile.

Annie nodded to him, looking to Armin expectantly as he reached into his pocket and tossed a few coins to the driver. The man wished them a good night and waited as they exited the vehicle. Armin took her hand as she stepped out and thanked the man, and in a moment the car was gone. They were left alone under the streetlights once again

She spun around until she faced the building and she glanced back at him.

"This is it?" she asked, and her tone was different than he'd expected. She seemed mildly interested, more than usual, and something told him she was excited. He smiled and nodded, slipping his hand into hers and tugging her towards the dark building. They trotted across the street, her heels clicking against the pavement and the smell of fog radiating from the ground. Armin breathed in as he opened the door for her and followed her in. He scooted past her in the hallway and led her up the stairs, silent from the lack of confidence and an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach.

They reached his door and he noticed her slightly heavier breathing. He smiled at her, a way to make sure she was okay, and when she noticed this she nodded. Armin quickly pulled his key out and unlocked the door, glancing back at her. He hard before opening the door and entering the apartment.

He switched the lights on and turned back to her, placing his hands behind is back as she stepped inside.

She closed the door behind her politely and glanced around with raised brows. There was no significant disappointment, or any emotion for that matter, on her face when she turned back to him.

She leaned back a little and kicked off her shoes, picking them up and stretching her toes against the floor. She lightly tip-toed into the living space and sat her heels under the small kitchen table. The feeling of his lover being in his living space was foreign to him, strange.

His apartment wasn't much more than a big room and a bathroom. It was nicer than most of the others in the building since his had a window, but there was nothing extraneous inside. Everything had a point, had a purpose. Well, that was until Annie walked in and smudged his refined quarters with her essence.

He watched her reach behind her back and tug at the sleeves of her dress, pulling the top half down to her waist before looking to him with a sheepish bat of an eye.

"I don't suppose you have any liquor?" she joked, slipping the dress further down to reveal the top of her corset, and Armin began to walk away before she showed anymore.

He sat on the edge of his bed that was at the other wing of the room. He pulled his shoes off and sat them quietly by the bed, trying to ignore the fact that she'd already folded her dress over one of his chairs and had moved to his small closet opposite to the bed.

He untucked his shirt and laid his jacket on his bedside table. He found the room to be colder than he left it, and stood to go light the fire. A slim hand pressed against his chest stopped him, and when he looked down he stared straight into the eyes of a newly dressed Annie. He sat back down with a smirk and glanced over her. She'd taken a light grey sweatshirt from his closet and slipped it over her body, the bottom hanging over her mid thigh. It covered a sufficient amount of her undergarments and Armin had to stop himself from swallowing when her smooth and exposed legs nudged him backwards.

He shed his dress shirt and folded it on top of his jacket as she climbed into the bed and continued to nudge him.

"Can I keep it?" she asked softly, lying with her top half on top of his chest and her arm reaching across him. Her hand ran from his ribs to his shoulder, tickling his skin as he tried to situate himself on top of the covers.

"What?" he sighed back to her, finding it difficult to breathe with her in this position. It was necessarily her mass, though, just her proximity and leisure in a space that she'd never encountered before.

"The shirt." she said, letting her eyes flutter closed. He watched her breathe, her back rise and fall, and nodded.

"Anything you want is yours." he answered, watching her sapphire eyes open again slowly, observing him for a moment.

She shifted, sitting up on her hands and knees. Her hands sat on either side of him with one of her knees between his legs. She looked down on him with curious eyes a thoughtful frown. He wanted to ask her what she was thinking, what she wanted from him, like always, but he knew he'd be left with only more questions.

He heard a clinking noise and in a swift moment there was a golden piece in front of him, dangling in front of his eyes. He reached up with one hand to take it in his fingers and he heard her gasp softly. He glanced up at her for approval and she didn't move, staring at the locket in his hand.

He moved to open it but she twitched, trying to push it out of her way as she leaned down to kiss him. He recognized this as a distraction and left her gesture unreciprocated. He waited for her to pull away with empty eyes before moving his hand onto the locket again.

Armin slid it open and held it between his index and thumb, narrowing his eyes in the dim lighting to see the two images tucked inside.

The one on the right was a small black and white picture of three children, a light haired boy with a broad smile and chubby cheeks on the left, his arm around the light haired and frowning girl in the middle with a familiar nose, and a lanky dark haired boy to the right, standing a few inches from the other two with his hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Is this you?" Armin asked quietly, running his finger over the centered little girl's face. He looked up to her and she stared back at him with distant eyes. She doesn't respond so his eyes move to the next image on the other side of the locket. It was a younger looking man with visibly graying hair and tired eyes. Armin glanced between him and the little girl, noting the resemblance and then looking back up to Annie. "Is that your father?" he asked, even softer this time. He got nothing in response, and she reached up to close the necklace. Her fingers tugged it away from his and she slipped it into the neck of the sweatshirt and shifted forward above him. He set his arm at the curve of her waist and frowned up at her.

She craned her neck, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth, trailing them softly to the peak of his lips and then opening her own to kiss him again. His hand moved to her back, his head pushing off the bed to return her gesture.

Somehow they found themselves pressed to each other, her back end lifted by her knees and her chest weighing down on his. His thumbs grazed over her jutting hip bones and his fingers danced on her sides while her own lay twisted in his hair. There was something different about the way her lips fit, there was something more urgent and pressing when she touched his face, when she moved her eyes over him, when she dragged her teeth against his bottom lip and buried her face in his shoulder.

Annie slid away from him and laid beside him on the bed, his hand tucked behind her and her arm touching his side.

He dared not look at her face, at her body, now. He could hear her panting and aching sighs, and he himself was breathless. They stared upwards at the window above them, the stars lining the edges of their vision and the lighted sky above them making it harder and harder for them to see the burning entities so far away. He felt her scoot closer and tuck herself under his arm, her hand resting on his chest. He looked down at the top of her head against his side and reached up to stroke her hair.

"We're more than a few months apart now, I suppose." she said, adjusting her head and tapping her fingers against him. He laughed quietly and nodded.

"I guess so..." he replied, closing his eyes and feeling the darkness and quiet sink into the room around them.

"Armin..." his eyes opened and he looked down at her. She was completely still, as if she hadn't spoken at all. He moved onto his side carefully, and she did the same, her back pressed to his chest and her legs curled up into her body. His arm hung over her side and held her close to him, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

"Annie... I love you." he whispered into her warm skin. She sighed as if she were sleeping, and shifted one more time before falling asleep. It was only a moment later that Armin did the same.

* * *

Armin tried not to stare when she came out of her room in only a towel. She was cursing under her breath about cold water and a lack of towels. She rushed back into her room once she'd gone into the kitchen and grabbed a bar of ivory soap out from under the sink.

He read while she dressed, unsure of why she was in such a hurry. They'd agreed to a leisure day, as she'd been, for some reason, increasingly busy with work and he'd been missing her presence all throughout the time she was gone.

He could hardly focus on the page he was on, so he took his book mark and tucked it neatly inside the fold of the book, sitting back on the couch and keeping his eyes on the doorway. She emerged from it not a moment too soon, her hair wrapped up in a towel with bright red cheeks and damp skin from the shower she'd had. Armin smiled at her as she adjusted the wrapped towel atop her head, standing in an untucked, slimming blouse and a black skirt. He stood and she looked up to him with narrowed eyes.

Before he could make his way to her there was a heavy knock at the door. Armin frowned and watched her move quickly, unwrapping her hair and ruffling her bangs. She glanced his way with a serious expression before hopping to the door on her toes. Her eye moved over the peephole and she slowly opened the door, moving to shield whoever was outside from seeing Armin.

He stood in the middle of the room, leaning to his side to try to catch a glimpse of whoever was visiting, or maybe even hear what they were talking about. He frowned when her voice went low and her words were drawn, again, as if she were speaking another language. He huffed in annoyance and plopped himself down on the couch, looking back for a moment to see that whoever was at the door was large and wore black. Perhaps it was that man they saw at dinner the other night... What was his name again? Berth-Bertholdt? Bert-

The sound of a closing door stopped his thoughts and he shot her a dagger look as she returned from the doorway and came into the room.

"What?" she asked with a frown. He huffed again, louder, and crossed his arms.

"I don't like secrets." he said, looking back to her, seeing something shift behind her eyes. She seemed unfazed for the most part, walking into her room with crossed arms and stiff legs, but something about the way she retracted made him think he'd hurt her. He shook his head, knowing there's nothing to apologize for, but he stood and followed her anyways, leaning against the doorframe with hands shoved in his pockets.

She moved a pile of dresses on her bed as he walked in and refused to look up to him as she organized.

"What was that all about?" he asked quietly, and she didn't answer until every article of clothing was in its place in her closet.

"It wasn't a secret," she snapped, "we've been invited to a party tonight." she blinked and looked up to him with an angered expression. He sighed in relief and tried to smile at her, but she remained frowning.

"It's a big event," she began, "held at a mansion on Long Island," she paused and crossed her arms, looking downwards, "the host is a friend of mine, and her... partner, is an associate." she looked up and sighed.

"Is this an annual thing?" he asked curiously, and she nodded in response. "I believe some of my friends have been to this before." Annie's eyes shifted instantly and she frowned.

"Really?" she asked, "It's quite... exclusive." she doesn't say anything else about it, and rushed to the closet, pushing things around for a moment.

"Will I be going to this?" he asked, watching her scramble to find her desired target.

She nodded and stopped, turning to him and raising her brows.

"Unless you don't want to," she said quietly, "it may not be... Well, I mean..." she sighed in frustration and turned away.

"What?"

"It doesn't matter." she bit her lip and avoided his gaze. "We'll leave around four so we can get there at dark." There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, but nodded nonetheless. He began to prepare himself; head clouded with doubt, he donned his black suit, the one he'd worn for her birthday only a few weeks before.

* * *

He hadn't heard her call a cab, but there it was, waiting for them when they stepped out of the hotel entrance. She took his arm, barely sparing him a glance. He felt sick, trying his best to read her, but finding that when she was in this type of mood it was nearly impossible.

She was wearing a ravishing silver dress that was much too short for Armin's tastes, and much too short for her to normally have worn. It hung well above her mid-shin, showing off her shapely and toned legs. God know where she got those... He swallowed as she adjusted her sparkling headband and diamond necklace, still not looking at him. She settled into the seat, directing the driver to the location, and batting her eyes so much it gave Armin an awful ache in his chest.

He climbed into the cab behind her, faking a smile as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. The cab pulled into the busy, loud streets, and after an hour of silence the isolated mansion came into view. Armin was instantly amazed.

"It's real swanky," he said with an airy laugh, pulling away from Annie and gazing out the window. The beautiful white house itself was immense, but it was also accompanied a large courtyard complete with several gardens and a circle of pavement. It was made for events like this. The sky was just growing dark, and as they drew closer and closer, Armin began to notice the large crowd of women in shimmering dresses and men in colored suits and dark hats. Armin was immediately overwhelmed. He glanced back to Annie with a curious glance. He is awarded with a withdrawn look and a sigh.

"We'll enter at the front, sir." Annie directed, adjusting her clothing and preparing herself to get out of the car. Armin looks into the window for a moment, using the translucent reflection to help him assess his looks before the car stopped behind several others in line.

They waited their turn, and once they'd pulled up, Armin slid from the seat and set his feet on the ground. He held his hand out to Annie, who slid from the seat as well, climbing out of the car and into the illuminated outside. Armin had to blink several times before he could begin to actually see the majesty of the dress that she'd chosen. In the room, on the way, he hadn't actually given himself time to look at it on her. In this moment, though, he had plenty of time.

It hugged her shoulders, sleeves reaching three quarters of the way to her elbows, shimmering with lace and crystalline gems. The collar dipped beneath her neckline, showing off her poised and flawless neck and skin. It was loose until it came to her hips, there it gripped her waist like there was no tomorrow, and then fell to her legs, leading up to show a pair of grey heels that he'd never seen before.

He found himself becoming more and more envious, but of no one in particular. Had she dressed this way for someone else? Was someone's presence here the reason that she'd been acting odd earlier?

In her head there were similar thoughts to his. She wondered if he was nervous. She wondered what he might think of her now that he would see who she really was in all its glory. She brushed herself off, taking his hand, and pulled him towards the door. She tried not to think any more about the topic.

Armin felt her leading, and decided to step in, stepping quicker so that he filled his assigned role as her male date. He sighed quietly, trying not to watch her as her clothes shifted and moved around her body. He smirked as they entered, as people smiled at them and welcomed Annie with quizzical eyes towards her date. He shouldn't be jealous. Whoever it was that was here wouldn't be getting the privilege of tearing that dress off of her later, nor seeing it disheveled on the floor in the morning. He tried not to think about it, though, as they enter the mansion.

The foyer is dimly lit, several groups of people chatting loudly and clanking drinks together in toasts against some type of a type of droning jazz music. The door and outside didn't do the inside any justice, and as both blondes stepped farther inside, Annie was more confident in her steps than Armin. Together they looked up at the dazzling sculptures and decorated hallways with a look of appreciated on their faces. It was all too Romantic for Armin to handle, and his mouth slid open at the very sight of the wonders and richness of the decor and walls.

Annie's arm slid out of Armin's reach and at first he didn't notice. She stopped walking, noticing that he'd already stopped completely, looking around like a child in a candy store. Her face warmed at the simple pleasure of his smile, and she stepped towards him, taking his hand in hers and pulling him onwards.

He snapped back to reality and looked after her bashfully. He should learn to control himself if he was going to be invited to this type of party again. Her arm returned on his as more and more people filled the empty and breathtaking rooms. She shared with him a rare smile before they entered a set of double doors, and his jaw dropped more than it had so far.

There was an incredibly large ballroom, filled from front to back with people, people, and more people. There was a definitely line between those eating or talking and those who were dancing to the music provided by a band at the left side of the room. The floors were decorated with floral and earthy designs, and the walls, columns, and ceiling were white with sculpted pieces that in all of Armin's life he'd never imagine he'd see.

They stood at the door, and he looked to Annie. She looked slightly amused but it was apparent that she'd seen all this before, perhaps several times. He scoffed at the privilege that she was probably taking for granted, but perhaps she was just as amazed as he was. He never knew.

They stood above several stairs, and as they descended downwards Armin caught sight of several men in all black with matching hats and serious eyes. He watched the room shift and move, as if the guard-like men weren't there. Every few moments someone would give them a nervous glance, or scoot by them with a frown.

Armin's eyes also landed on a familiar group, nestled together with drinks and flat faces. His brows lifted in a sudden realization. The music's temp changed, and a moment later the shocked blond felt a pair of soft lips at his ear.

"Here's what you'll tell them," she breathes as they move, and he stops to look at her, "we've been seeing each other for a several months," she paused, looking out on the crowd with a frown and worried eyes, "we met through some sort of business associate but we've forgotten their name," she inhaled and blinked all in one motion, "we' aren't exclusive."

Armin's brows perk, a smile forming. He looked to her, knowing that she was joking, but felt something drop inside him when he saw how serious she looked.

"We aren't?" he tried to provoke a smile from her with his own uncomfortable one.

She doesn't look his way, and they continue walking. She doesn't speak besides a small "hmf" noise that made his heart sink.

She whisked him to higher ground, a place along a banister that overlooked everyone in the ballroom where they could stand alone. Armin was too hurt to continue conversation, but the sight of eyes on him made him remember something important.

"My friends are here," he said softly, watching her put her back to a wall and cross her arms. She raised a brow.

"Are they?"

He swallowed and nodded. "They're from the Surveys," he said, and her ears pricked. She looked at him with unsurprised but interested eyes. Armin shifts his weight, his arms behind him as he faces her. He thinks back to his education on the local gangs and mobs for a moment, knowing exactly why she was so interested in what he had to say.

"What do you know... about them?" she asked with a half smirk. He shrugged in response, looking out at the laughing people, tapping his foot to the swinging and moving music.

"I know there are multiple leaders, still anonymous to the police though, perhaps _with_ the police," he paused and sighed, "They're officially the Survey Corps, named after a conspiracy in the late nineteenth century. Most of my friends don't hold big positions, just runners or messengers." he shrugged and looked back to her. She looked a lot more tense, crossed arms and crossed ankles showing him how uncomfortable she felt with all this background noise.

She was avoiding the inevitable, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what that was. "Rival to the Titans," she finally said, "I'm sure you know about them." He nodded slowly.

"Yes, of course. Everyone knows about them," he responded, smirking, "The top guy is known by the police, but there's no evidence to back it up. His reign spans all over Manhattan, and there's some rumors that he's got connections over state borders and even overseas."

She smiled at him then, and there was something like pride in her eyes.

Before he could address it, though, he heard a booming voice, and turned to see a familiar face bounding his direction with slicked hair and a fancier suit than his own. The man's hand was pounding his back before he could manage a smile.

"Armin!" the man exploded, drink in hand and eyes twinkling, "I didn't know you were going to be here." he said, then turning to Annie with a sly smile and his hand held out for her. She took his hesitantly with an expressionless face, and let him shake it with a grin.

"Is this your date?" the man asked, and before he could respond, Annie replied for him.

"Actually, Mr. Arlert is my date for the night." she corrected, stepping closer and placing her hand on his shoulder. Armin swallowed. "Who might you be, sir?" she asked, trying her best to not be threatening but failing in massive proportions. The man swallowed, straightening his back and stretching his neck before replying.

"Jean," he replied, "Jean Kirschstein." he paused, "Nice to meet you," he paused and slapped Armin on the back with a wide by weary grin, "You've got a real bluenose here, don't try to take him home or he'll turn ya into a good girl real fast." he joked, reaching up to scratch his head. "I think I'll be going to see Eren and Mikasa now," he said, directed at Armin with a weary glance. Annie nodded to him with a small smile, and they watched him leave.

"Jean." Armin said, "I've known him for a couple years. Survey. I met him because he's... friends with my best friend, Eren." Armin paused and his eyes shifted downward. There was no point in hiding anything from her at this point; she probably knew everything he would say anyways. "He only joined because his friend, um, Marco was in. Marco's family was intricately involved with the surveys somehow, so he was raised to believe that it was his only option. He met Jean, who had also been raised under gang rule, and they joined together as runners." Armin stopped to see Annie's eyes raised in a sympathetic way, and she nodded in an effort for him to go on. He continued, "In any case... There was this incident with a warehouse, and Marco... got shot. Died in Jean's arms." He swallowed and Annie looked ill.

"I'm sorry... Did you know him?" she asked with a frown. Armin shook his head.

"No, no. But Jean never recovered. You can't really get out, once you're in. So his plan is to rise to the top, eventually. But Eren, my friend, gives him a little bit of competition every now and then." Armin smirked, raising his head to see Annie's eyes drop and a smirk appear on her lips.

She raised her head quickly, and she stepped forward, taking his hand. "Armin, let's dance."

The tempo of the music changed again, slower, more like the music Armin played through her hotel room in the morning and afternoons. He smiled at her, faintly, and followed as she led him to the dance floor. He heard a loud cackling laugh from beside him and instantly turned around, seeing a tall, tanned woman with long brown hair guzzling down a glass of some sort of beverage. Her hand perched on a much shorter and much angrier looking man's shoulder. The man had an undercut, something Armin hadn't seen for years, and stared with dark eyes at Annie, who didn't seem to notice or care what was going on around her.

She glanced back at Armin, then to the duo, and back to the floor.

"Who are they?" Armin asked with a chuckle, feeling himself being pulled into her arms. They both glanced at the two bickering humans as their hands fell together for the dance.

"Zoe Hange and Levi. Sometimes you'll hear people on the street calling him Corporal, but it's a joke amongst the Surveys." she chuckles softly, pressing her body closer to his as they swing gently back and forth, barely lifting their feet. Armin feels his heart soaring.

"They seem quite…attached." Armin glanced over again, seeing Levi snatch the drink away from Zoe and drink the rest himself despite her rolling eyes and loud protests. He noticed a shining wedding band on Levi's hand, and turned back to Annie. "Is Miss Hange a moll?" he asked and Annie's brows rose so high in shock that they could have flown away.

"God, no." Annie said with a scoff, leaning forward to place her cheek on his shoulder, "she's much too smart for that."

He heard her laugh as they moved, the song's crescendos and decrescendos lulling Armin into an uncomfortable mood . He heard her whisper something and pulled back, "Hmm?" he asked, and she shook her head, blonde hair looking wispy against the jewel band around her head and the blank walls around them.

"I was just saying that Levi's fiancé died several weeks ago... which is why he looks more haggard than usual," she looked his direction, sighing and placing her other cheek on his shoulder, now, "and why Zoe is getting so unspeakably plastered." Annie's voice quieted, "No one will ever really get over the poor angel."

Armin swallowed, his hand on Annie's palm and the other on her hip as they continued to move. There was a long silence between them as the song played, and the duo quickly moved out of sight, giving Armin a rather disappointed feeling.

Armin's eyes wandered as they danced, hand remaining on her hip until his sights rested on a quickly approaching man. Armin stopped his dance, and Annie was instantly surprised, turning to see what had caught his attention. The man was older with dark blonde hair and narrow blue eyes that were set on Annie. He stepped through the crowd with a half-grin, looking to Armin and opening his mouth to speak.

"Hello there," he begins, his voice deep and unexpectedly proper. He wore a slick black suit that decorated his broad shoulders and thick arms and waist. Armin nodded, slightly intimidated, and turned to Annie. He noticed her extreme discomfort instantly, but she seemed to be keeping her cool as she scanned the other man with a raised brow.

"Lovely to see you again, Mr. Smith." Annie said with a bored voice, removing her hand from Armin's side and holding it out for the other man to take. He smirked at Armin before turning completely to Annie, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles with a deep chuckle.

"Is this your date, Miss Leonhardt?" he asked, nodding to Armin after releasing Annie's almost delicate-looking hand. She blinked slowly and lifted her lips into a taunting smirk.

"Just for tonight, dear," she replied, eyes telling Armin a different story. He shifted, and reached his hand out for 'Smith' to take it.

"Armin Arlert." Armin said with a nod, ignoring Annie's worried eyes. The other man's smile disappeared as he gave Armin's hand a firm shake.

"Erwin Smith," he replied, "business partner of your lovely date." he smiled at Annie viciously, "Would you mind if I had her for a dance or two?" Erwin's brow arched at Armin for a moment.

Armin looked to Annie who nodded slowly, glancing away in a gesture for Armin to leave them. He nodded and forced a smile.

"No problem at all," he dipped his head and smirked, "meet me at the drink table when you're done, Miss Leonhardt." he said, directed at Annie. She smiled uncomfortably and nodded, arms and face tense as Erwin placed his hand on her hip to pull her into a dance.

Armin's stomach flipped as he walked away, hearing the words, "Too bad that lovely restaurant burned down. Did you hear about that..." as he left. He forced himself to move and soon found himself exactly where he said he'd be.

A hand appeared on his shoulder, and when he turned around he meets the familiar green eyes of none other than his best friend, Eren Jaeger.

The brunet reached out to shake his hand with a smile, and Armin returned it with his own little grin. A black-haired woman steps forward, her black dress even shorter and more sparkly than Annie's. She smiled softly and kissed Armin's cheek as he took her hand.

"I assumed you two would be here." Armin said, looking them over. "Nice to see you Eren, Mikasa." he spoke their names out loud for himself, enjoying their names on his tongue. It was nice to see them for the first time in a long time. They must have thought that he'd abandoned them... he felt a guilty feeling wrapping around his stomach.

"How did you get here?" Eren said with his excited voice, looking around wildly.

"That woman dancing with... Erwin? Yeah, Erwin Smith." Eren's eyes moved that way, and Armin felt slightly threatened by the way his eyes graze her over.

"She's got nice gams." he said with a chuckle, and when Armin saw Annie's face turn, Eren's smiled dropped. Armin looked at him quizzically, and Eren turned to him with a deep frown.

"What's wrong?" he asked innocently, knowing the familiar angry look on Mikasa's face.

"You're messing around with Annie Leonhardt?" Eren asked, his tone serious and his body tense. Armin nodded.

Eren looked angry and he huffed, turning around and then back to Armin. He placed a hand on Armin's shoulder. "Alright, Armin. You're a big kid now, I understand." Armin's shoulder drifted back, his brows furrowed and something boiling inside him. "And she's a real Sheba, I'll give you that," Eren frown turned dark, "but I've been there, done that," his eyes shifted to Annie and then back to Armin who felt a chill and a burning anger inside him, "and she's trouble."

Armin shifted away, seeing Mikasa's troubled expression become immediately pointed at Eren.

Armin began to laugh. "Don't you think I know that?" he responded, and the other two looking at him with surprised expressions. Armin huffed and straightened his jacket, brushing Eren's hand away. "I'm not an idiot." he scoffed and looked back to where Annie once was, finding that she'd disappeared, along with her partner. Eren lifted his hand, turning Armin's face back to see him with a rough poke to the cheek.

"She works with Reiner Braun and the Titans," Eren said in disbelief, "she's a dirty spy! She used me to get to the-" Mikasa's hand on Eren's shoulder stopped him. They turned to their right to see Annie striding their way, slowly, at the arm of a tall blond. Armin narrowed his eyes, seeing the man's slicked back hair and intense, sad-looking eyes. Annie was smiling, and Armin became instantly envious.

Armin touched Eren's arm, excusing himself, "I'll be careful," he called back, and Mikasa looked worried as he walked towards Annie, "but not for your sake." Armin said to himself, guilty that he was going against his friends' wishes. He felt the need to rekindle their friendship, but the way that Eren looked at him was making him feel as though he should run away as fast as he could. He'd made a promise a long time ago, though, to his friends, and although he loved Annie, he felt like he'd do anything for them.

He made his way over to said blonde, stopping in front of her and the person at her arm. The man, Reiner, frowned at him and glanced to Annie, who unattached herself from him with an airy laugh and reattached herself to Armin's arm.

"Armin, this is Reiner Braun. You'd recognize him as-"

"The mastermind behind the Titans," he said, "yes." Armin felt his outsides tense as he reached forward and shook the hand of the taller man. Reiner nodded with a forced and awkward smile, stony like his eyes.

"Pleasure to meet my Annie's new romantic interest." Armin's eyes glided over to Annie whose face was bright red and irritated.

"Pleasure to meet you, although I'm not sure what you are to her." Reiner looked surprised, and he let out a single chuff of laughter, nodding to Annie and then to Armin, and making his way through the crowd and disappearing beyond their line of sight. Armin bristled against Annie's arm, and he heard her laughing.

"Jealous, love?" Annie whispered, leading him towards the stairs, and he hesitated against her grip. He looked around once more, noticing Jean with Eren and Mikasa in a small group. They stood only a little ways away from Levi and Zoe who seemed to be speaking seriously with Erwin.

He almost spoke up until Annie pulled him up the stairs and turned him around to face a lovely looking blonde and a rugged looking brunette. His brows rose, the short blonde smiling wildly with crystal eyes only set on the woman beside her. The other woman, though, was dark and frowning. Her freckles making another frown across her cheeks, complimenting her brown and tan men's suit and flatcap, something that caught Armin off guard.

Annie nodded towards the short blonde who sported a pale pink flapper dress that shimmered and hung with long tassels at the end seam. "This is Krista Lenz, the host of the party." Armin reached out, trying to calm his nerves, and took her hand with a slight bow. The woman beside Krista's brows shot downwards and she stepped closer to the host.

"I'm Ymir. Partner of Annie's, friend of Krista's." Armin shook her hand as well with a nervous nod. Annie yawned, glancing back over the party below that now shook with loud music and screaming laughter.

"Krista works very hard to include all of her friends and family," Annie began, and the blonde beamed proudly, "and she worked very hard to create a neutral ground between the gangs." Armin's ears pricked and he nodded, noticing Ymir's hand drifting to Krista's back.

"That sounds like quite a feat," Armin said, and Annie interrupted.

"I think it's best we get going, Armin," she said, "thank you, Krista, it was absolutely lovely."  
Armin shot his date a surprised glance, but thanked Krista and the scowling Ymir anyways. He started to walk away, and noticed Ymir's lips against Annie's ear, drawing her back. She was frantic in what she was saying, but Annie's expression was as stone cold as before and the blonde soon followed Armin out of the ballroom.

His mind was filled with questions, but as they put more distance away from themselves and the others, Annie's face became increasingly worried.

They found their car at the front, miraculous in Armin's eyes, and a moment later they were on their way back home.

Annie's eyes grazed the outside, her elbow on the car door and her fist under her chin. The lights went by, but not quick enough. "Ymir and I have been close friends from the start of my career," she said quietly, bringing Armin's dazed attention back to her. He was feeling some sort of regret for not experiencing the grand house like he wanted to. "Reiner and Bertholdt, the man we met at my birthday, are practically brothers," she continued, sighing and shaking her wrist as she sat up in her seat. Her hands settled in her lap and her eyes were wide and sad. He leaned in closer, their shoulder brushing along the way. "They're practically _my_ brothers."

Armin smiled softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and let her stay quiet and still for the rest of the ride. Somehow the cab found its way in front of his apartment, and Armin lifted the dozing and beautiful Annie from the seat, shuffling inside with her beginning to stir, and kissing her across the threshold as he felt her trying her best to undo the front of his shirt as quickly as possible in her newly awakened state.

* * *

**A/N 2:**

**Things I forgot to add for chapter one:**

**step in - a type of women's underwear, similar to a corset but with a bottom attachment**

**bimbo - stupid or unintelligent [strong] man (B/N: I thought 'bimbo' was usually used to refer to women?)**

**A note on the setting:**

**If you've ever read Gatsby then you'd know that my writing was influenced by the social aspect of the party and the architectural aspect of the house. My main excitement for this was the flappers, but I didn't go into as much detail about them as I'd hoped. I realize that Long Island is only a short ride away, but Krista's mansion was intentionally isolated for reasons stated in the passage. (As a way to create a neutral zone, for the betterment of the city, perhaps- I believe it will go unstated but Krista isn't naive, but she can be ignorant at times. She has a story of her own that will not be uncovered soon but her desperate attempts to continue her affair with her love and still bring peace are, like I said, desperate and silly. She cannot favor a person- if she loves, she loves the group they're associated with, unfortunately.)**

**A note on the names:**

**I prefer Levi to Rivaille (I originally included both, but decided to keep it easy and use Levi) as well as Hange to Hanji. Zoe will be her first name, as I assume it is in the canonverse. Also, Krista seems better to me than Christa, just because of how widely that particular spelling is used. I originally had Renz but my beta told me that Lenz was the proper spelling so that's what I'll be using, although unfortunately Krista will not make that many more appearances. (spoilers!)**

**Terminology:**

**wet blanket - 'party pooper', negative person **

**swanky - similar to 'ritzy', fancy or rich**

**plastered - drunk, wasted**

**moll - gangster's lady, wife**

**gams - a female's legs**

**Sheba - woman with sex appeal**

**Also: yes, Eren was implying that he and she had slept together but that rumor will be solved in the next chapter. I also hope you noticed that small passage where Armin puts the clues together, giving him an impression of what Annie is that happens to be 100% correct.**

**I apologize for any mistakes, please let me know in the reviews and I will watch out for them next chapter. Sorry this was late, my updates will MOST LIKELY be monthly but I cannot be sure due to my new schedule for school and working, eh.**

**Thanks to: OldCrabappleMcKinley for mentioning my fic in your Author's note, I was extremely surprised and pleased. (Although I prefer your writing to mine, honestly.) If my readers haven't read your story yet, they're mistaken and should check that out immediately. I'm in love with it already. :)**

**Also thanks to: Miss Lyrica, Seseorang, waterxeno, The4thActual, gamekrazy306, Stiller3, Leddy T, Goldflame, atomic flash, RonaldWeasleyTheHero, and all 5(ish?) guests for reviewing and making my month! ^u^**

**Have a great day, thank you for reading! Please review and follow!**


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